Locations
Fish species in Rhode Island
87 species have two or more US observation records in Rhode Island. Explore their habitats, families, and local records.
87 species have two or more US observation records in Rhode Island. ITIS calls 51 of them native to the United States, 36 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 0 introduced.
- Species
- 87
- Freshwater
- 54
- Saltwater
- 61
- Survey list
- 37
Two counts, two questions. 87 is the number of species observed in Rhode Island and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 37 is the number the USGS stream survey caught, which samples flowing fresh water only. Neither is the other, so the site never adds them.
The statute
The official state fish of Rhode Island
A state fish is a statute, not a survey. It says which fish the legislature chose, not which fish is most common. The list above links each row to the state's own record.
Most recorded
The fish of Rhode Island
The species with the most observation records in the state. It is the closest the open data comes to naming the fish people meet.
Groups
Types of fish in Rhode Island
Species
All 87 species, A–Z
A
- Alaskan Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
- Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus
- American Angler Lophius americanus
- American Brook Lamprey Lethenteron appendix
- American Eel Anguilla rostrata
- American Sand Lance Ammodytes americanus
- Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus
- Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus
- Atlantic Needlefish Strongylura marina
- Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar
- Atlantic Silverside Menidia menidia
- Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus
- Atlantic Tomcod Microgadus tomcod
B
- Banded Killifish Fundulus diaphanus
- Banded Sunfish Enneacanthus obesus
- Bandtail Puffer Sphoeroides spengleri
- Bay Anchovy Anchoa mitchilli
- Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Blackspotted Stickleback Gasterosteus wheatlandi
- Bloody Stickleback Apeltes quadracus
- Blueback Herring Alosa aestivalis
- Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix
- Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
- Bridle Shiner Notropis bifrenatus
- Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis
- Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
- Sand Tiger Shark Carcharias taurus
- Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus
- Seaboard Goby Gobiosoma ginsburgi
- Sheepshead Minnow Cyprinodon variegatus
- Silver Mullet Mugil curema
- Silver Perch Bairdiella chrysoura
- Smooth Puffer Lagocephalus laevigatus
- Spiny Dogfish Squalus acanthias
- Spot Leiostomus xanthurus
- Striped Bass Morone saxatilis
- Striped Burrfish Chilomycterus schoepfii
- Striped Killifish Fundulus majalis
- Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus
- Swamp Darter Etheostoma fusiforme
T
W
Y
One record only
14 more with a single record
One observation can be a stray, an aquarium release, or a mis-keyed locality, so these are kept out of the count above and listed here instead. The first 14 are shown.
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